Atlas Stationers — Local services in Chicago

✨🌈🖋 Opening the door to Atlas Stationers is like entering a fountain pen paradise~! 🖋🌈✨

It's a joy to visit for many reasons. For anyone curious about a thorough description, feel free to read the whole breakdown. For something brief, skip to "4. Conclusion" at the bottom.

Disability Accessibility

Whether I'm using my forearm crutches or wheelchair, the store is easy for me to navigate, and the staff helps me with anything I need. If you have mobility issues and need help getting into the building, give them a call before you leave. Call again when you arrive/knock on the window when you get there/have a buddy enter for you, and ask them to ask staff for an assist. There is an accessible way to enter.

Inside, the rows were recently widened, so my chair can easily navigate. There might be one tricky turn, but it's not a big deal to me. I can access pretty much everything. I think the only place that's tight is the back clearance area.

There's also a chair towards the front (seen in the photo behind me,) for customer use, so when I have my crutches and need to sit, I can easily do so.

The Offerings

Atlas carries a wide variety of luxury brand stationery, some art supplies, and I was so pleasantly surprised to see a bunch of cute plushes! There's not just pens and ink, but oh, the pens and ink they have!

I was always obsessed with pens but hadn't purchased many fountain pens previously. Atlas introduced me to BENU, and I was hooked. I think I first visited because I saw online that they carried Ferris Wheel Press inks which I had wanted to use in illustration.

Whatever type of pen person you are, they likely have something to fit your needs/wants. One of my favourite things is their extensive ink swatch binder. Everyone knows how difficult it is to tell what colour an ink really is in-bottle, and the box-printed swatch is usually off. Being able to see what an ink actually looks like is such a huge help. They also have an ink swatching station so you can swatch an ink for yourself!

The Staff

I can't stress enough just how excellent, kind, helpful, patient, and hard working the entirety of the Atlas Stationers staff is. It's clear they really enjoy being there. It's rare to have so many people who are passionate about the content of their jobs.

They're collectively very knowledgeable about everything in the shop. I also appreciate that they let people shop quietly when they want to, but they are happy to answer questions when approached. Social anxiety can be intense when shopping, especially when people in sales follow you around a store---that doesn't happen at Atlas. It's a relaxing place to be.

Conclusion

If you're looking for a new pen, ink, journal, or other writing supplies in Chicago--look no further! Atlas Stationers is a phenomenal place to be. It's accessible to me and for at least some other disabled folks, but of course, I can't speak for everyone. Lastly, the owners and employees are great people who will help you feel very welcome.

You...

Last year I read the Dallergut Dream Department Store, a book that takes place mostly in a department store that sells wondrous dreams to sleeping customers. Reading it felt like a whimsical and dreamy hug, and going into Atlas Stationeries felt like the Dallergut experience I never thought I’d get to come across outside of that novel. There’s a marvelous selection of pens, inks, and all sorts of stationery goodies that you can really spend all day looking at (it’s so great and well thought out!!) but I think that the magic and wonder of the store really comes from the people who work there. I am so immensely grateful for the combined presences of Alex, Alvin, and Annabelle. They were so lovely and warm and patient with all my questions & so knowledgeable about the fountain pens I was taking a look at - and not only did they take that level of time and consideration for me and my friend — they also managed to attend to everyone on the floor with such grace and nimble meticulousness. Words really can’t express how splendid they are as stationery experts and as human beings in general!

I left the store feeling much better than I did before I stepped in thanks to their kindness and I am so very grateful for that. Now I think fondly about my day excursion to the store whenever I use the two fountain pens I purchased thanks to their recommendations. And shout out to Jacki at the register as well for making the check out experience so wonderful as well! I don’t think Atlas would be the same experience without these delightful aforementioned individuals, and I am very excited to come visit again in the future. Atlas Stationeries doesn’t sell dreams, but I think the time I spent in the store gave me the feeling as if I were having a very good one - and I am so grateful that this store and these folks exist in Chicago. The city & the stationery scene in general would not be the same...

Hands down the best stationery store I've ever been in, and a must visit for anyone interested in quality pens, notebooks, journaling, paper, stationery, or meeting people who are passionate about their work and art. The store is enormous for a stationery store, which means they have space to set out every pen and journal available in the store for customers to experiment with and experience. The staff spends time at the "pen and paper audition tables" every shift - a very savvy sales technique given human curiosity to see what someone's doing! As an introvert I really appreciated how this allowed them to engage customers without a hard sell approach. I loved this store so much I went back 3 times in a 2 day visit. The first visit I got the lay of the land. The second visit I bought Midori journals and a cover, a new pen, and ink for the pen. The third visit I decided I needed stickers to advertise this amazing store. Not once in 3 visits did someone try to hard sell me something. I especially want to call out the "ink expert" Jasmine, who patiently helped me find ink that would minimize feathering in the Midori, then helped me identify exactly the color I was searching for. She also kindly showed me her personal Plotter - that's super intriguing for this BuJo enthusiast. Carrie showed me several pens and was super patient. Sean is now my new BFF - just a lovely individual and great conversationalist. I can't emphasize enough how well-staffed and well-laid out this store is. I genuinely enjoyed the shopping experience and LOVE the products I purchased. If you love paper and pens, it's worth making a trip to Chicago just to visit this store (something Sean told me people actually do...and I get it! I really get it!) My only regret is that I missed their sidewalk sale...but I'm on the newsletter now, so I can plan...